To Live with Thy Loathed Enemy
by Lilies of Avonlea
Summary: Anne must stay at the Blythe's while Marilla nurses a relative in the States.
1. Chapter 1

"Oh, Marilla, you look positively elegant! Where are you going?" asked Anne as she came in through the kitchen door.

"One must look their best when traveling. I'm visiting my sister in the states, she is extremely sick and I'll be gone for a month." explained Marilla in a prim and proper manner.

"Oh. Why didn't you tell me, then I could have packed earlier! I need to pack now!" she cried as she ran up the stairs.

"Anne, I'm afraid you're not.. going." said Marilla slowly.

Anne stopped. "I'm not? Then...then where will I stay?You don't believe that I can stay here alone for a month, especially with the haunted woods next to us, but obviously theres the white way of delight, and the Lake of shimmering waters, but still." said Anne. "Will I be staying at Mrs. Barry's?" she asked eagerly.

"No, I've made arrangements with Mr. Blythe, you're to stay with them, in the farm. said Marilla.  
>"But...but Gil..gil bert bly..the, but... Please don't make me Marilla." Anne stuttered.<p>

"No buts, Anne Shirley, I've arranged it and you will go there." Marilla said sternly.

"But Marilla! When are you going?" Anne asked hoping it was not for another hour at least.

"Right now, after I take you to the Blythe's farm. And I expect you to be well behaved." Anne's hope of convining Marilla not to make her stay _there_ were crushed.

"Oh, Marilla, I'm in the depths of dispair, I shall never be almost perfectly happy in the Blythe Farm." Anne whimpered.

"I will not listen to such nonsense, now come along, I'm already late." Marilla stated curtly.

Anne packed her 'wordly goods' and went downstairs. Tears were in her eyes and her sleeves were wet from wiping her nose.

"Come along, Anne." Marilla called from the front door.

Anne obeyed meekly and went outside to the buggy.

They went for a ride through the White Way of Delight and pass the Lake of Shimmering Waters. However, Anne could not fully enjoy the scenerie for life was very bleak for the girl of fifteen.

"Anne, knock on the door and tell them. I need to get going." Marilla said and she left without another word.

Anne knocked on the door as she was told and the door opened. There stood a man that looked a lot like Gilbert but with sharper angles and his eyes were not as mischevious.

"Hello. My name is Anne Shirley. Anne spelt with an E. Marilla said that I was to stay with you while she was in the states, am I correct?" Anne asked.


	2. Chapter 2

Mr. Blythe blinked at the forwardness of the red haired girl in front of him. He surveyed her for a moment. So this was the girl who hit his son in the head with a slate? The girl who accidentally set the Diana Barry drunk? Her red hair told of a temper, but her eyes told of an ability to love and show kindness. He didn't know what to make of this Anne Shirley, however he had promised Marilla he would look after her girl and he would keep his word.

"Yes... You will be staying here." He said wondering if he should put her in the guest room or the east gable.

"I like you already. You might be a kindred spirit, but I don't know if I'll like it here." Anne confided to him frankly.

"I suppose you'll like it here enough. I'm sorry no one else could take you. The Barry's plan to go on vacation two weeks from now, the Andrews have been having financial problems, Mr. Lynde is having trouble with his health again, the Gillis' won't here of it considering Mrs. Gillis is sick." He tried to reconcile her.

"I wanted to stay home alone to be honest." She sighed as the last word left her lips.

"Why don't you come inside. You can have the east gable and it faces in the direction of Green Gables." He stepped aside from the door frame smiling at the girl.

Her face light up and she smiled.

"Think of it this way at least you're not bunking up with the Pye's." They both laughed at this. Anne went upstairs to her room opened the door and stared in wide eyed rapture at what lay before her.

...

Don't worry Gilbert appears soon. Vote in the pole on my Profile Page!

Have a Great Day ㈴1


	3. Chapter 3

The room had two large book cases filled to it's capacity, a window seat with mating and pillows that were a beautiful light green with white lacy frills fringing it's edges, the bed had sheets and pillows of similar style, and the walls were papered a pale white. It was a blank canvas for her dreams for the next month.

She sighed happily setting her things down on the bed. She walked over to the book shells across from the bed and began reading the titles.

Little Women, Sherlock Holmes, Dickens, Shakespear, Jane Austen, Ben Hur, Lancelot and Elaine, and... could it be... Yes it was...Tennyson! Who in the world read these? Most definitely not Mr. Blythe. That only left...

Mr. Blythe stood at the door way of her room. "Looking through the bookshelf, eh? Straight to the books just like my Gilbert. They're all his old copies. Put them in here so his room wouldn't be all books." Mr. Blythe smiled.

"He has taste. I'll say that much. " Anne said stiffly.

"You aren't on good terms with my boy still?" John laughed.

No answer.

"No? That's alright. He's been having every girl like him for years figured it was a matter of time before he encountered one that didn't." He said honestly.

"He is good competition. I have to fight until there's nothing left in me to get top marks and at times that isn't enough." Anne's resolve to never speak of Gilbert Blythe breaking as a result of the laws of curtesy.

"Well I'm glad he has his work cut out for him. Anyway dinner is in fifteen minutes." John walked out of the room and down the stairs.

Anne unpacked quickly and looked out the window. Just as Mr. Blythe said, she could see her home in the distance. She stayed looking lovingly Green Gables until she heard a familiar voice from behind her.

"Anne!?"


	4. Chapter 4

She spun around. She had hoped to avoid him at least until dinner, but that was not to be the case. She looked at him blankly. So many emotions were going on inside her that none would show on her face. No emotion was stronger than the other, and so she stood facing the boy without even a scowl. Then after a minute of desprately sorting through her mental mess she settled on acting civil. She nodded curtly trying to channel all the Marilla-ishness she could.

"Gilbert." Anne said sagely.

"Dad didn't tell me you were staying here!" He smiled. This was his chance to finally smooth things over with Anne.

"Well, Marilla needed to go see an ill cousin in The States." She said with as much formality as possible.

"How long have you known about this?" He asked suspicious.

"Since I was told and came here... Roughly two hours" She estimated looking at a bedside clock.

"Why that's hardly any warning at all." Gilbert said in surprise.

"Hardly any warning at all. Says the boy who wasn't even told you'd have a stranger staying with you." She laughed.

"A stranger? Anne we're not strangers." He waited for her to elaborate. Strangers! They were not on good terms at the moment, but they knew each other. He knew her as a nice girl who was trying to be the best she could be. She knew him most likely as a reched human being. Didn't that count for something?

She bit her lip in thought. "I suppose not. Strange girl or orphan would probably be better." Anne concluded.

"How about you use I. Don't give yourself labels like that. Especially when most of the world will do it for you." Gilbert said seriously.

"Well, I think it is about dinner." Anne said returning to her formal if not cold self.

"Probably." He agreed. He had got her to open up for just a moment with a little more patience could they _finally_ be friends? Gilbert wasn't sure. It was just as easy for her to pretend that he didn't exist.

...

_Well this was short, but hopefully it will suffice. I had a lot of trouble getting this together as most of my ideas come at untimely hours and by the time they get to being typed they aren't as good as when I first thought them. _

_I hate pleading for reviews, but how else are you going to remember? Unless your struck with the uncontrollable urge to write one!_


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